The Complex Dynamics Between Art, Artist, and Viewer

A second article in the topic of the artist and the art

Here are a few more thoughts based on the previous article Separating the Art from the Artist.

---

---

The Complex Dynamics Between Art, Artist, and Viewer

Art and the artist who creates it are often seen as inextricably linked, but is this connection as inevitable as it seems? Reflecting on this relationship reveals a surprising truth: it’s entirely possible to admire an artist yet feel unimpressed by their work—or to love a piece of art while remaining indifferent to the person who made it.

When the Artist Fails to Inspire

There are many admirable artists who live decent, kind, and principled lives yet fail to produce art that resonates or inspires. Perhaps they play it too safe, staying within conventional boundaries, or shy away from the boldness and vulnerability that often define great art. Creativity demands risk, and without it, even the most well-meaning efforts can fall flat.

This gap between character and creativity highlights that an artist’s personal virtues don’t necessarily translate into artistic brilliance. The reverse is also true: some of the most celebrated artists in history were deeply flawed individuals whose personal lives might be difficult, even objectionable, to admire.

The Other Side of #MeToo: Acknowledging Complexity

In a time when movements like #MeToo shed light on the misconduct of male creators, it’s important to acknowledge that women artists are not exempt from criticism either. There are stories of women artists who have been cruel or negligent, even to their own children. This reminder is sobering, as it challenges societal narratives that often romanticize women as inherently nurturing or morally superior.

From personal experience as a former foster parent when living in Texas, I’ve seen that cruelty, depravity, neglect, and selfishness are not confined by gender. Artists, like everyone else, are human—capable of greatness in one realm and failure in another.

Art as an Independent Entity

When it comes to engaging with art, the relationship between the viewer and the artist is often more distant than we might think. Art, once created, becomes a unique, independent entity that exists apart from its maker. As viewers, our appreciation for a work of art doesn’t necessarily reflect on how we feel about the person who made it or means that we are anything like the artist who made it. In fact, for those of us who don’t personally know the artist, there’s no real relationship to speak of—only perceptions shaped by hearsay and societal narratives.

This disconnection is amplified by humanity’s love for gossip. Praise or disdain for an artist often spreads through whispers, opinions, and rumors, rarely based on firsthand knowledge. It’s a fascinating aspect of human behavior, this tendency to form judgments about strangers who are mere phantoms in the back of our minds based on the stories we’ve heard.

The Viewer’s Perspective

Ultimately, the relationship between art and artist—and between artist and viewer—is complex and multifaceted. Liking or disliking a piece of art has little to do with the artist’s character and more to do with how the work resonates on its own terms.

Perhaps this is the true power of art: its ability to stand apart from its creator and forge connections that are deeply personal, entirely independent of passing gossip, and rooted in the unique experience of the viewer with the artifact. In a world full of opinions, fashionable hearsay, and speculation, this independence of the object and its presence as a record is a rare and beautiful thing if it endures.

All artifacts across human history are not only separate from the maker of them who slips away into the mist of time but also from the culture they were originally a part of. They take on a life of their own across the centuries as a relic and become beacons of a human moment in time and place. The narrative attached to them is constantly shifting and often lost to oblivion and new speculative stories created around them.